19 historically significant individuals born on January 25. January 25 is the birth date of twelve notable individuals across history, including British novelist William Somerset Maugham (1874), modernist writer Virginia Woolf (1882), Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze (1928), Philippine president Corazon Aquino (1933), and Portuguese footballer Eusébio (1942). These individuals made contributions to literature, politics, and sports.
Total Born
19
Countries
15
Top Century
20th· 13
Top Field
association football player
4 individuals
Headline Figures
Birth Distribution by Century
20th (13)
19th (3)
17th C.20th C.
20th Century
13Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Arvid Carlsson
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2000)
Ilya Prigogine
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1977)
Sir Paul Nurse
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2001)
Noemi
music video directorrecording artist
Italian singer-songwriter who gained fame after participating in the talent show X Factor and has released multiple successful albums in Italy.
Eduard Shevardnadze
diplomatpolitician
Georgian Foreign Minister (1985-1990) who helped end the Cold War and later served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003.
Robinho
association football coachassociation football player
Brazilian footballer who played as a forward for clubs including Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Santos, known for his technical skills and dribbling ability.
Lila Tretikov
businesspersoncomputer scientist
Russian-American software engineer who served as Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation from 2014 to 2016. She previously worked at SugarCRM and other technology companies.
Eusébio
association football playerathlete
Portuguese striker known as the "Black Panther" who won the Ballon d'Or in 1965 and scored 41 goals in 64 international appearances.
Corazon Aquino
human rights defenderpolitician
First female president of the Philippines (1986-1992) who led the People Power Revolution that toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy.
Xavi Hernández
association football coachassociation football player
Spanish midfielder considered one of the greatest passers in football history, who won the World Cup and two European Championships before becoming a coach.
Hatem Trabelsi
association football player
Former professional footballer who played as a right-back and represented Tunisia internationally. He played for several European clubs during his career in the 1990s and 2000s.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
politician
Comedian and actor who became Ukraine's sixth president in 2019, leading the country during the Russian invasion that began in 2022.
OG
Otgontsetseg Galbadrakh
judoka
Judoka who competes internationally for Kazakhstan but was born in Mongolia, specializing in the women's 57kg weight category.
19th Century
3Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
William Somerset Maugham
army scoutliterary critic
English playwright and author (1874–1965)
Virginia Woolf
autobiographerdiarist
English modernist writer and feminist who wrote influential novels including Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse using stream-of-consciousness techniques. She was a central figure in the Bloomsbury Group and a pioneer in exploring psychological realism in literature.
Edmund Hogan
Catholic priesthistorian
Irish Jesuit scholar (1831–1917)
18th Century
2Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
François-Vincent Raspail
biologistbotanist
French chemist, naturalist, physician, physiologist, attorney, and socialist politician (1794-1878)
Joseph-Louis Lagrange
astronomermathematician
Mathematician and astronomer (1736–1813)
17th Century
1Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Robert Boyle
chemistphilosopher
Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most famous person born on January 25?
Virginia Woolf, a British author born on January 25, 1882, is likely the most famous person born on this date. She wrote classic novels like "Mrs. Dalloway" and "To the Lighthouse" and was a central figure in the modernist literary movement.
What famous writers were born on January 25?
Virginia Woolf (1882), known for her modernist novels and feminist essays, and William Somerset Maugham (1874), who wrote works including "Of Human Bondage," share this birthday. Both authors contributed to 20th-century literature.
Are there any famous politicians born on January 25?
Yes, Corazon Aquino (1933), the first female president of the Philippines, and Eduard Shevardnadze (1928), who was Soviet Foreign Minister and later president of Georgia, were born on this date.